A 1984 Bosley Patient

[HelpROGER]

He never said he "spoke " to surgeons who told him them damaged people out of greed.
Let's be real , no doctor would ever admit to anything like that

All he said was there are " doctors on this list that I know have damaged others out of greed and that is fact " .....how he knoes that I don't know but he has a point . Just because a Dr is on the IAHRS list doesn't mean that they are " all " great Drs

I've seen some results in the " Hair Transplant Results By IAHRS Recommended Surgeons" section and IMO sometims I think the Dr should have refused to perform the suregry on the fellow.
But hey if the guy is happy with the rsult that's all that matters.

King Topcat said he knows for a fact that there are doctors who damaged people out of greed. How does he know it to be a fact? I agree that some IAHRS doctors are probably better then others, but I would bet that if a person who is looking to have a hair transplant goes to the IAHRS he has a much better chance of having a good outcome then if he just does a google search. It's a good thing in general. Being able to narrow the playing field is huge when trying to decide on a doctor.

[DepressedByHairLoss]

I don't think either Topcat or HelpRoger are right or wrong per se, they just come from vastly different life experiences and that's why their views are so divergent. I think they're both good people though. Topcat had some of the most extensive hair transplant damage that I've ever seen done to a person, and if there was any justice in this world, that corrupt doctor(s) that performed the hair transplants on him would be thrown in jail. And then this doctor would have a helluva lot more damage done to him than a botched hair transplant. I don't blame Topcat at all for being very pissed off; if I had that kind of damage done to my head, I'd be ready to take that corrupt doctor out back and hack into his head. HelpRoger says that an IAHRS doctor practically saved his life so I don't blame him at all for praising the IAHRS. Spencer Kobren and his organization actually helped to educate me on the limitations of hair transplantation and that's why I haven't gotten one and don't plan on getting one. I had lots of misconceptions because I was really naive when it came to hair loss. I really wanted a hair transplant and set up consults with several doctors. I absolutely despise baldness and was willing to do anything to regrow my hair. Yet when I found out about the donor hair not being able to grow back, the inability of an HT to give you anything close to a full head of hair, and the permanent head scarring, I decided that it wasn't worth it. So Spencer and his organization helped me in that way. Although I'm not a proponent of HT's for those aforementioned reasons, I do have to say that Spencer's motives are very true and honest (mainly because he himself has experiences the extremely negative effects of hair loss for himself) so I've got nothing but praise for Mr. Kobren. As much as I hate baldness, I'd much rather be bald than permanently scarred.
Anyway, with regards to injuring people for the purpose of greed, I totally agree that lots and lots of HT doctors have done that time and time again. Before the advent of FUT and FUE, hair transplants were very primitive, produced doll-like hair structures, and very often lead to extensive scarring. The doctors performing HT's back then had to have known the limitations and complications of hair transplantation back then (after all, it was painfully obvious by how many people were butchered), yet they still continued to operate on people. Why? The most logical reason is because they made loads of money doing it. That being said, I do believe that there are some honest and tried-and-true doctors out there. Dr. Charles seems to be very ethical and honest, Dr. Haber seems to be as well, and Hasson and Wong and Dr. Rahal seem to produce some of the best results of the lot. Also, I really do think that the IAHRS really helps a person who wants a hair transplant narrow down their choices to some of the best doctors out there, and does help steer people away from all of the scumbag chain clinics like Bosley and NuHair. But I think that lots of doctors that were practicing traditional hair transplants before the advent of refined FUT and FUE did know that they were performing shoddy procedures and continued to do so. Some of them are even IAHRS members.

[ejj]

damaged is damaged ! it happens , the very fact there is a section here for ` patient complaints ` confirms that , my point is what happens when things go wrong ? i dont see Drs throwing in the 1 k i refered to earlier to help six repair patients yearly out ! why not ?

regards

ejj

[topcat]

DBHL I’m not pissed off at my own situation. In fact my situation has improved so much that I can understand why so many others in the past have just moved on and let the predators take over. What I don’t care to see are posters posting information that is irresponsible and reckless knowing very well that some young guy is going to read it and act on it.

Even the list owner would agree he has no control over what another person does and that is where the real problem seems to be. Greed has a way of changing people and what they believe is right and wrong including many of these HT doctors.

I try not to pay too much attention to attacks as most of these posters really are clueless and know zero about the industry but the real danger is that they are advising others.

[Tracy C]

What I don’t care to see are posters posting information that is irresponsible and reckless...

O.K., you are implying that I was irresponsible and reckless. Pull your head out and re-read what I wrote. I was neither irresponsible nor reckless.

You just lost any credibility you may have had. You are no worth my time.

[ericdiablo]

A 1984 Bosley Patient & AMA Regulation

Zip,

Your best bet is to find a great plastic surgeon to determine if they can minimize your scars through excision and laser treatments.

Other users have made a great point in this thread. Many of the doctors listed on the IAHRS website performed scalp reductions years ago. These same doctors are now profiteering by selling "corrective" procedures for their own work.

Until the hair transplant industry becomes regulated by the American Medical Association, like all other doctors are, predatory practices will simple continue.

Thank you for your post and I wish you the best.

ED

[topcat]

Zip, Eric also makes some good points. Do not believe what you read on an internet forum. Do not believe you can simply consult with doctors off a list someone puts together. I suggest making connections with patients and those that work in the industry. Once you get a better understanding, some of the sources you develop over time and that you feel can be trusted can help you in making a better decision. If the doctor you choose happens to be on a list then great but don’t choose him simply because he is on a list.

Just like anything else in life those that you feel you can trust along with those that are close to you usually have your best interest in mind. Don’t believe some bozo that posts on an internet chat forum and that includes me. It will take you a whole lot longer as in my case over 10 years in moving forward with a repair while the road for me began over 25 years ago.

I still stay connected with many of the sources I have come to know over the years and we still chat about how bad this industry is but it’s like that with many others where the greed takes over.

Several of these internet chat forums are filled with posters that are not even real patients or prospective patients but simply shills trying to persuade others to follow a certain direction. It’s all a big business generating huge amounts of money and you could very well be the sucker again.

Anyone that doesn't not know that doctors on lists are still causing damage to patients today does not know jack shit and is completely clueless and that is reality.

[534623]

Do not believe what you read on an internet forum. .

okay, I stopped reading your post.

[zip]

I consider my Bosley experience, if not the biggest, at least one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Everytime I see one of their commercials on TV it is a little bit painful. But the one thing about getting older is that it is easier to live with, and I know the surest way to compound this mistake is to go out and do something stupid. Meaning, go to another doctor and just make the situation worse, or spend time and money only to find it does not help one bit. Learning from your mistakes is one of the most important things a person can do in this life. And learning to live with them is another. We all make bad choices and have to live them, but to me, to repeat such a serious mistake is inexcusible. Learning to have a sense of humor about the way it looks, as hard as that is, is a long term goal of mine. I say long term, because I really have to work at it. There is a guy who rides around my neighborhood selling treats from a bicycle cart and his face is terribly disfigured. It is much worse than what I have to deal with. He always has a smile on his face and I find that people are not the least bit turned off by the guy because he has a great attitude. There is a lesson to be learned there.

Another goal at this point is to not lose any more hair in either the transplanted or donor areas, if that is possible. And to keep it looking healthy. That is really why I posted.

I think it would take some pretty special technology, and a lot of convincing, to get me to go back to a doctor.

[topcat]

Zip it gets easier to deal with as time passes. I will be 50 soon so I have had plenty of time to learn there are more important things in life. In many ways it has been such a valuable lesson for me as I became to realize not just how corrupt the practice of medicine happens to be but many businesses in general. Having that experience and pursing more knowledge in this area has benefitted me and those around me tremendously. And I have always had a good laugh when speaking in person or on the phone with other repair patients as we speak about some of our experiences and talk about the industry. I mean really all you can really do is laugh.

What I think is most important of all is trying to help others by telling of our own experiences. This business is filled with scumbags and predators and there is just no nice way to put it. Too many come to the forums expecting to be hand fed information and which doctor to choose if they do decide to go the HT route. It’s completely insane in my opinion and I’m not shy to say it. You need to research for yourself. See the work in person and meet the people involved with the clinic. Judge their character but getting to know them over time no matter how long it takes.